Mo. House panel advances business incentive bill

A Missouri House committee has advanced legislation offering new incentives for some businesses and international exporters.

The vote Wednesday by the House Economic Development Committee could pave the way for the full chamber to debate the bill Thursday.

The plan creates incentives for computer data centers, amateur sports events and air cargo exports at the St. Louis airport. It also scales back some existing tax credits, but not as much as proposed under a version passed last month by the Senate.

Republican House and Senate leaders have been at loggerheads about how much to limit incentives for building low-income housing and renovating historic buildings. They also are at odds over a plan backed by Gov. Jay Nixon to roll several existing business incentives into a single new program.